West Bengal: Dispute between BJP and Assembly Speaker once again over PAC chairman post

Kolkata: In a fresh tussle between Assembly Speaker Biman Bandhopadhyay and BJP over appointing defected BJP MLA Krishna Kalyani as the chairman of PAC, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari threatened to move the Calcutta High Court.

Addressing the media outside the Assembly, Adhikari said that Bandhopadhyay’s decision is ‘unethical’ and also that a copy of the appointment is not given to BJP MLAs.

“We have given an ultimatum of 24 hours and if we don’t get the copy we will move the court on Thursday and even after we get the copy we will move the court as the appointment of PAC chairman is unethical,” said Adhikari.

However, Krishna Kalyani said that LoP only knows how to move the court.

“Even if the Leader of Opposition moves the court they cannot do anything as the appointment is logical and ethical,” said Kalyani.

Biman Bandhopadhyay mentioned that he doesn’t have any information that Krishna Kalyani had defected to the TMC as according to him Kalyani is still BJP MLA.

It can be noted that ending all speculation another BJP Raiganj MLA Krishna Kalyani rejoined the ruling Trinamool Congress on October 27 last year under the presence of TMC general secretary Partha Chatterjee at Trinamool Bhawan.

Notably, while joining he said that working for people is not possible in the saffron camp for which he had rejoined TMC within six months. Ahead of the recently concluded West Bengal legislative Assembly polls, Kalyani had defected to the saffron camp.

Tussle between BJP and the Speaker started after BJP Krishnanagar (North) MLA Mukul Roy defected to TMC in June last year and despite that he was made the PAC chairman.

The BJP had moved to court requesting disqualification of Roy’s MLA post and PAC chairman post. However, last month citing ‘ill health’ Roy resigned from PAC chairman post.